


Regret

by Iamacarrot



Series: The adventures of the Red Army [2]
Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Being in the army is stressful, Disclaimer: Characters from the show, Edd Matt and Tom argue, Edd is in charge of new recruits, I hate having to put this in every one of these, Matt trains Army dogs, Not the ones in real life, Patryck wishes these three had never come, Paul is slightly confused, Red Leader is slightly amused, Their friendship is a bit rocky, They are eating spaghetti during this., Tom is part of the first reponding team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 15:43:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14980340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamacarrot/pseuds/Iamacarrot
Summary: During dinner one night at the Red Army base, Tom, Edd and Matt get into a... "small" argument. Words are then said, and things get tense pretty quickly.





	Regret

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning:  
> Mentions of Self Harm, attempted suicide, and Alcohol Addiction.
> 
> Also, if I forget to mention in the actual story, they do have their respective enhancements.

"Then, I decided that we should take the enemy upfront, but SOMEONE had to mess the plan up, and attack from the side. I'm looking at YOU Tom!" Patryck shouted. Tom scoffed, aggravated that he was the butt of everyone's jokes, and only because Red Leader hated him. "If you ask me, that plan would have failed either way. The enemy would have seen us from a mile away! You could have at least sent Matt and the dogs in to scout the place first." Tom retorted. "My dogs are not in the proper condition to scout, just yet." Matt muttered. "That's because you haven't been training them on schedule." Edd huffed.

"What does any of this have to do with you?" Tom asked. "Matt owes me a Well Trained, Well Behaved Doberman, and it was due for me to get her by the end of last month!" Edd replied, looking to Matt angrily. "Training the Dobermans takes time, Edd. Besides, the ones that were ordered recently are still puppies. I'm just starting to cover intermediate tracking..." Matt sighed. "Yeah, that's a terrific excuse. Just make sure that I get her before Major retires. He's had a good run, but he's not in the best shape anymore." Edd sighed.

"Come to think of it. Didn't WE request a Doberman?" Paul asked, looking to Patryck. "Yes, but it seems obvious that we're not going to be receiving one anytime soon." Patryck replied. "Look, I can give you a substitute Rottweiler, Belgian Malinois, or German Shepherd, but I simply cannot offer an untrained Doberman at such a young and impressionable age." Matt groaned. "Fine, We'll take a Malinois." Patryck agreed.

During this discussion, Red Leader watched with an amused look. He had invited the five to a private dinner, and was ecstatic to find Edd, Matt, and Tom at each other's throats.

"I wouldn't take any of his dogs. If he can't train the Dobermans, how do we know that he's trained the other dogs properly?" Edd scoffed. "Edd, I swear to god! If you do not shut your mouth!" Matt shouted. "Guys, please, can we not fight for at least 30 minutes?" Tom groaned. "That has to be the smartest question you've ever asked!" Edd laughed. "SHUT UP!" Patryck and Matt shouted in unison.

"How can you say anything about me, anyways? Have you SEEN the recruits you've trained?! They're the most unruly lot I've ever seen in this base!" Matt claimed. "YOU try gaining the attention of over 500 men! Oh, wait! I guess you can't! Maybe you could, but you wouldn't be able to now, because time finally caught up to ya, old man!"

Tom rubbed his temple as Matt gasped. "Take that back!" Matt shouted. "No! Not even makeup can help you now!"

Both men stood up, Edd walking over to Matt as the two began shoving each other as they got angrier.

"Guys, please, just calm down!" Tom pleaded. "SHUT UP DRUNKARD!" Matt and Edd roared. "Drunkard?!" Tom screeched, standing up as well and shouting at the others as they argued about god knows what. It was honestly hard to distinguish, considering how they had each started screaming about multiple things at once.

Paul covered his ears, watching the trio yell at each other. "You're one of THE dumbest soldiers here! Which is saying something, because Matt's here too!"

"HEY!"

"Not apologizing!"

"At least I don't drink myself to sleep every night, you pathetic alcoholic!" Edd shouted back. "At least I don't have to get overrun by a bunch of brats every day!" Tom retorted. "At least I don't want to marry a bass!"

"At least I don't have to be left out of everything interesting just to get caught up on stuff I forgot to turn in!"

Edd paused, sputtering as he looked from Tom to Matt, glaring at the ginger and taking a breath before speaking. 

"At least I don't CUT MYSELF!" he shouted, grabbing Matt's arm and pulling his sweater sleeve up, revealing red and purple marks all along his arm. "EDD! You promised that you wouldn't tell!" Matt gasped, blushing as he pulled his arm away and his sleeve back down. "Promises were made to be broken, sweetheart." Edd spat, watching indifferently as Matt rushed out of the dining room.

Everyone else went silent, looking from Edd to the doors as they tried to comprehend what had just happened. "Whoa! That was... something..." Red Leader shouted in an uncomfortable manner, scaring everyone. "He was cutting... and you never told me?!" Tom shouted, shoving Edd back. Edd scoffed, a look of regret flashing onto his face for a nanosecond before he bore an irritated look. "Yeah, so? Didn't you hear? I "Promised Him" that I wouldn't tell." Edd retorted.

Tom sneered, looking to the door as a young soldier ran into the room. "Apologies, Red Leader! But It's a matter of urgency! It's Matt! He's going to hang himself!" the soldier gasped. "What?! Are you sure?" Red Leader asked, standing quickly and rushing to the doors. "Yes Sir! He was tying a noose as I walked past his quarters, and he slammed the door after telling me not to tell!" the soldier explained.

"That idiot!" Red Leader whispered, rushing out of the room to Matt's quarters, the others rushing after him.

Once they arrived at Matt's door, Tom made a move to open the door, cursing as he found it to be locked. "Matt open this door! That's an order!" Red Leader shouted, heart pounding as he felt genuine concern for Matt's life.

For once in a long time, Red Leader was scared, terrified, horrified in every sense of every word. Never before had he witnessed anyone's suicide, and he wasn't planning on seeing anyone's now. Especially Matt's.

Using his robotic arm, Red Leader knocked the door down effortlessly, gasping and gagging at the sight before him.

Matt was hanging by a noose, struggling for breath as blood fell from his neck, most likely due to the rope burn around his neck. A few areas were cut into so deep, that his tendons were visible, and blood poured from his mouth as he wriggled around, trying to catch any type of breath.

"OH MY GOD!" Edd shouted, looking around and grabbing a stool and climbing on top of it, pulling out a pocket knife and cutting through the rope, flinching as Matt fell to the floor with a loud gasp.

Paul, Tom, and Red Leader all crowded around Matt, checking his pulse, and trying to steady his breathing. It was difficult, since Matt continued to shift in and out of consciousness, but they managed.

"Matt?! Matt! Wake up you idiot! Don't fall asleep!" Tom pleaded, shaking Matt to try and keep him awake. "Stop! You're going to increase blood loss! Get it together soldier! Use your training and help him! I'll go find some supplies." Patryck instructed, running off to find some medical supplies of any caliber.

Edd stepped down from the stool, easing over to Matt, and stepping back as Red Leader stood suddenly. "This is YOUR fault! If you would have just kept your mouth shut...!"

Red Leader said no more, falling next to Matt once again, cradling him close. A pair of paramedics then walked in, lifting Matt onto a small cot, lifting it up and carrying him off to the infirmary.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
A few weeks passed, and Matt got better, but he became much more distant, spending most of his time with the dogs, or Red Leader, who had started shooting more glares at Edd than Tom.

Edd would always flinch at the looks, regret washing over him as he kept replaying the memory.

"You feeling better?" Red Leader had asked Matt one day during breakfast in the mess hall, hugging the man close to him. Matt nodded, looking down to his food. "You need to eat. You'll get worse if you don't." Red Leader cooed, smiling warmly as Matt took a bite of his food. "There we go! Who's my brave soldier?" Red Leader purred. Matt gasped, whimpering as he leant against Red Leader even more. Red Leader realized his mistake, but he didn't apologize, instead, he continued. "You're my brave soldier. You know you are. Don't fight it. You know I didn't mean it..." Red Leader sighed, a pang of... something, pulsing through him as Matt drew him closer.

Edd frowned, standing suddenly and walking off. He needed to fix this, and he needed to fix it NOW.

There was only one way he could do that though...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Huh! It's a good job Red Leader had second Time Travel device." Tom hummed to Matt. "Now all we have to do is find Edd before he messes anything up in the future." Matt replied, eyes widening as his enhancements disappeared suddenly. "Oh, he's a dead man." Matt growled, how the HELL was he going to explain this to Red Leader???

Tom began walking, Matt following. "So where should we start looking?" Matt asked. "I'm not sure, but hopefully Edd's past self has enough sense to hide somewhere." Tom replied. Matt nodded in agreement. "You know, I'm surprised Red Leader allowed you to come on this mission. He could have let Patryck come. Hell, even Paul would have been a safer choice." Tom hummed. "How did you-" "I begged." Matt replied. Tom chuckled, frowning as a thought popped into his mind.

"Let me see your arm." Tom instructed. Matt ignored the order, sighing heavily. "Yes. I am." he admitted.

"Matt-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Matt shouted as he caught sight of Edd. "Oh GOD I'm OLD!" Matt's past self screeched. Matt glared. "Hey, uh, why the eye thing?" Past Tom asked. "Remember that laser you took to the face?"

"Err, yeah?"

"Cancer."

"Huh."

"Anyways, Edd! We're here to stop you before you destroy the future for your selfish needs!" Tom shouted. "No! I won't go back! I won't go back to that bleak, soda free future!" Edd replied. Tom put on a look of surprise, since when was the future soda-less? Hmm, that must have been his story to make it easier for his past self to accept. Kudos to him for that.

Tom, Matt, and Edd fought for a good few seconds, eventually traveling back to the future. "Well Edd, it looks like you do feel some type of regret for what you did. But this cannot go unpunished... Patryck! Get the noose... we need to teach Edd about the pain of betrayal..."

**Author's Note:**

> The end is my theory on why Edd REALLY went back to the past. Tord is a jerk, sure, but what good does he get out of banning Cola? I feel like Edd just went back out of regret of something that he did before, and he wanted to kill his past self so he didn't have to live with the regret any longer.


End file.
